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4 May 2011
Last updated at
20:34
Swinley Forest fire continues near Bracknell
A forest fire has been burning at Swinley Forest since Monday due to dry and windy weather conditions.
Anthony Cornfield from Crowthorne, in Berkshire, took these photographs on Tuesday evening of damage to the forest.
Smoke from the forest fire has led to homes being evacuated and schools closing.
The fire covers an area measuring about 300 hectares in the forest near Bracknell and Ascot.
Firefighter Steve Whittall, from London, was among dozens of crew members who have been dealing with the fires.
The dry peat floor of the forest has been burning underground and strong winds have been causing flames to spread through the forest canopy, making the fire difficult to extinguish.
The fire, which is affecting about 300 hectares of forest close to the Devil's Highway near Bracknell, started on Monday.
About 200 personnel from seven county forces are continuing to tackle pockets of fires and dampen down hot-spots at Swinley Forest, near Ascot.
It is not known how the earlier fires started and people have been warned to take care when discarding cigarettes.
Nicolas Buffault took this picture of the flames on Monday while walking along the A3095. He said: "We were almost 20m away from the flames and could feel the heat."
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